Afternoon

Following the Kingdom of Heaven

When I was a little kid (more of a kid than I am now, at any case) on a school field trip, I saw a big, beautiful castle on a tall hill, myself safely buckled in behind a huge window of a bus. It was unlike anything I have ever seen and it set my imagination ablaze. I told myself that one day I would surely climb that hill and plant my banner in whatever suitable spot I could possibly find.

I did not know that it'd be another 12 years before I actually set a foot - or rather, a wheel, on that holy ground, but fate has its strange ways - and so the pair of us took a few cans of tuna, sleeping bags, a tent and some other things I'd probably spare you, strapped it all on to our poor, but a very proud friend - and embarked on a pretty epic journey of 3 days, 2 nights and exactly 666 kilometers, in the footsteps of the Ninth Crusade and its various mischiefs.

If you happen to own a motorcycle in the Kingdom of Heaven, and in the unlikely event you don't know what to do with it - I might suggest to follow in our wake and take a trip to the numerous crusader sites throughout the country - you may learn more than you think. And of course, two wheels will move your soul farther on this journey than any other means possibly can.

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God wills it.

Arie

TVM has a new member: Duncan!

Born in England and lucky enough to have a father that bought me my first bike aged 7, which was a 50cc Malaguti scrambler. Never stopped riding since then.

I have owned a 250cc B.S.A. Goldstar, an 850cc Norton Commando, a 1170cc Suzuki Katana, numerous Kawasaki’s (Z650’s and GPZ 900.) and a 900cc Triumph Trident. For the past couple of years I have been a Motorcycle Instructor for my good friend at Lightning Motorcycle Training in Oxford.

I have spent my life travelling to more than 50 countries. My passions are Rock and Roll, British Bikes, Writing and Beaches.

Living with a 1975 Norton Commando 850cc Mk.IIa Roadster

I was lucky, my grandmother wasn’t. I was 15 when she died. Six months later my dad told me she’d left me $2500 in her will. My dad loved sports cars, and instead of forcing me to keep that money for my future he just handed me a cheque. I could do anything with it! Three days later I purchased a Norton for $1000. It was 1983.

My older brothers were all into Triumph Bonnevilles and I wanted to be similar but different. The Triumph was a prettier bike - but the Norton looked more muscular.

I had to wait three years before I was legal on the road. And then my tempestuous relationship started that would span three decades. I still own this bike today; it waits for me in a barn in England under covers, a home for spiders.

The first thing you learn about a Norton is how to start it. The kick-start is as violent as a drunk football hooligan. It has the capability of breaking your shin or ankle, or just throwing you across the street. The second: the vibration. Although it has isolastics, the bike is prone to excessive vibration. Once it is set up correctly it is a fantastic ride.

Second gear has enormous grunt and it will happily cruise through towns and villages in third or fourth gear. This bike was built for the country lanes of Britain. It is there that the handling and power to weight ratio really came into its own. My best rides are with other mid-Seventies bikes like Triumphs, B.M.W.’s, Ducatis and Laverdas.

Over the years I have changed it little. It has survived one main accident and many ‘drops’ over the years without any damage to it whatsoever. The most I had to replace were handle bars or foot-pegs. I did change the exhaust system during its last overhaul for a pair of ‘SS’ pipes which you can see in the more recent photos. These pipes have open slash-cut ends that create fantastic flames and noise on the overrun, especially downhill.

I will always own this bike and it will always own me. It is a love affair with both its ups and downs and maybe one day I hope to pass that rare privilege on.

Duncan